Nostalgia
by Sumiare
Summary: A month after Seto saved Ren, things begin to change. Summary and Title subject to change. Hiatus until further notice - I have a lot of stuff going on!
1. Nostalgic

**Hello! Although I have lurked the Fragile Dreams archive for quite some time now, I have never really felt inspired to write anything. Today [Feb 24, 2013] I started drawing a doujinshi for it, and decided to write it as well. I know the prologue is quite short (It was a lot longer in my fanfiction binder!), it is definately required for the story to get its start! Please enjoy and do drop a review on your way out!**

**EDIT: I don't have a beta, and I don't have the time to proofread this stuff, honestly! ^^' If you spot any errors do point them out! **

**PS.. I am aware my writing style is quite bizarre, I tend to overdescribe things...**

**PPS.. I used the ~ to start and end a memory, if that makes any sense! I didn't want to confuse people with too much italics.**

**~Sumiare**

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Prologue -

NOSTALGIC

It was mid-afternoon, and the rays of sunlight were filtering through the cracked glass of the window beside us. Ren was crouched nearby to stroke the head of a purring tabby tomcat, a little smile on her porcelain face. Her silvery, starlight hair was pulled back out of her face with a small yellow rubber band she had picked up while they were wandering the abandoned halls of the station mall, looking for any other survivors of the first Glass Cage. Although Ren was skeptical, I had fervently insisted we search every nook and cranny for other living people.

_It's been about a month since I saved Ren._

I paused, a pair of chopsticks hanging out of my mouth, an open lunchbox in front of me. It was steaming slightly still; I had heated it up over the campfire nearby.

_I can't say I'm not happy, but…_

Crap. My eyes were tearing up. Acting quickly, I rubbed out the drops budding in my tear ducts. I couldn't cry in front of the girl.

_There are people I miss so much._

Personal Frame, or PF for short.

Sai.

Crow.

_Crow…_

Tears were streaming down my cheeks now, dripping wet spots onto the concrete. I quelled any noises that may be escaping me; Ren would realize something was up if she heard my girlish sniffles.

_She'd tell me, "It's no use crying over ghosts and robots and android dolls." Her eyes, a light shade of red-violet stared harshly into my own. "They're not coming back. It's impossible." I, being the sensitive one, was lapsed into a stunned silence, tears still dripping stubbornly from my eyes. "Hey," she'd always continue. "At least you have me!" Ren would smile warmly at me, and I'd respond, "Yeah," with a smile of my own._

_But the smile of mine was always forced, a fake. Because, honestly, I'd give anything…_

~The ladder's metal rungs clanged beneath my shoes as I climbed back to the surface. At the base of the ladder stood a stick, pulled from my briefcase, pushed into the soft pile of dirt. A grave marker, for the precious Personal Frame who had guided me so expertly through the ravaged, collapsed ruins of the Train Station. Even so, the backpack-robot never found out my name.~

_Anything at all…_

~ "Bye, Seto, Ren. Take care of yourselves." Sai was smiling, pretty blue eyes shiny with unshed tears. Shin, who was beside her, was silent, staring holes into the ground through cracked glasses. The beanie atop Sai's head was slouching off of the side, making her appearance rather messy. She didn't care, though, she was happy just bidding farewell to her friends. "I'll miss you guys. It was fun."~

_To bring them back…_

~ "Please…" I was clinging to his chilly form, desperately trying to save him. "Crow…" I was crying, sobbing, really, but I didn't care. My dying friend- best friend- was my main concern. "Don't leave me, please." I had his cold face between my warm hands. In desperation I kissed him, something he had done to me back when we were enemies at the Amusement Park. Crow just smiled at me weakly, his eyes fading slightly.

"Hey, Seto, thanks. Y'know, for being my best friend…best friend….best friend…" he had trailed off, repeating those two words that slashed deep holes into my weak heart. And then, Crow the Android, pirate extraordinaire, had died, batteries exhausted to a low that ceased his function.

"He stopped working," Sai had commented as I sat there sobbing silently. "No," I whispered, feeling empty, heartbroken. "He died."~

_Back to me._

Ren had noticed my muffled sniffles, and she sighed as she came over to comfort me as best she could.

_Elsewhere…._

Green eyes blinked open, and a voice hoarse with disuse whispered softly, "Seto's crying…"

**PROLOGUE END**


	2. Explore

**Hello! Been a while! I've been working on this one a bit, I had to rewrite it several times before I was satisfied with it. Unfortunately for you guys, in four days time I'll be headed off to Disney World in Orlando for an orchestra trip, and I won't have the time to continue writing this for about two weeks. Okay? Stay strong babies! Please drop a review on the way out, and I'll see you next time!**

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**CHAPTER** **ONE**

**EXPLORE**

It wasn't the sound of birds that woke me anymore. It was the soft, hungry mewls of cats that pushed me out of dreamland now. Several had taken to trailing after Ren and I as we trudged through the decay of what used to be known as the Earth. Moonlight bathed the landscape, dying the scenery a silvery white, a glittering, almost lonely color. I liked the moon and its light, though. It kept the nights visible and put the world on display when it thought to be hidden.

Ren and I sat by the extinguished bonfire, gazing silently up at the waxing moon. A large tabby ragdoll cat was curled up loosely in my lap, her fluffy tail twitching every so often from where it was wrapped around her dozing form. I absentmindedly stroked her, feeling rather sleepy myself.

"If you're tired, Seto, you can go to sleep, I'll keep watch tonight if you'd like," whispered Ren, reaching over to pet the ragdoll in my lap with delicate, pale hands.

"If you say so, then thanks," I answered lazily, gently pulling the cat off of me so I could lie down on one of the sleeping bags we had taken from the abandoned Glass Cage laboratory. The cat meowed in protest, and then nestled in the crook of my neck, her fur tickling my bare skin. I was out in a matter of minutes.

Soft paws on my face and little, girlish meows lulled me out of my sleep. I cracked open my eyes to see the fluffy ragdoll cat, her amber eyes gazing holes into me. I murmured a soft greeting to her and sat up, rubbing my eyes groggily. The cat paced around me in excitement, mewing insistently for breakfast. I cracked open a little tin of cat food and set it in front of her.

"Y'know," I commented as the cat munched lazily on the wet food. "You hang around so often, I might have to give you a name."

"Huh?" murmured Ren, turning over to look at me confusedly.

"The cat," I clarified. "She seems to like me." In response, the ragdoll meowed, her whiskers wet with tuna. The stench was overpowering, but I reached over to scratch behind her ears. The cat purred softly, pushing into my hand. Ren looked at me and then rolled over.

"I'll get breakfast if you'd like," I told her. She grunted in affirmation and I stood.

"Alright, Aki," I instructed the cat, naming her on a whim. "You stay here and keep Ren company, okay?" Aki trodded over to Ren's side and sat there loyally. I grinned, and grabbed a bag from my pile of things, along with my crossbow and a quiver of arrows that I had found with it. "I'll be back in an hour or so. Be nice!"

And I trudged out of camp into the forest in search of breakfast. It was about ten minutes before I came upon a birds' nest, the mother sitting lazily atop a clutch of three eggs. I felt bad, but I knocked an arrow in the crossbow and skillfully shot the adult bird. It squawked and then fell to the ground.

I gently lifted the carcass and loaded it into my bag. The nest was a short climb into the treetops, and I clung to the trunk like a koala, carefully placing the eggs next to their mother in my bag. It was a little macabre, but where else was I meant to put them?

It was a bit of a trek back to camp, and by the time I got back to camp, the sun was nearly high in the sky. Ren was very much awake by now, heating the bonfire with Aki curled up on my sleeping bag.

"Hey," I greeted upon my entrance, sitting down next to Ren at the bonfire, discarding my crossbow and plucking out the eggs I had stolen. Ren placed a metal pan atop the fire, and I carefully cracked open the eggs and slid the yolks into the metal. We chatted aimlessly as we cooked the sizzling proteins. Eventually Aki woke and came over for the third egg, which we gave her.

"So where should we head today?" asked Ren as she cleaned the pan in the stream nearby. The cool water was our drinking fluid, our bath, and our dishwasher. We always came back to this clearing for that stream, no matter which direction we wandered. I figured if we found any other survivors, we'd take them to the hotel nearby. No ghosts really hung around anymore, and if we pushed hard enough, we could open nearly every door.

"How about we go northwest today?" I suggested, scanning the pencil map I had made of our surroundings. "I think there's an old hospital over there; we could check it out."

Ren nodded in agreement. "I think people would congregate at a place like a hospital."

Together we got up and gathered our things, putting out the bonfire and rolling up the sleeping bags. We usually hid the big stuff in the trees so bears couldn't get at it. Ren unsheathed her katana and together we headed off in the direction of the hospital in the northwest.


	3. Note

Sorry for delays!

I've been working on chapter two, but it's hard to write :(

I'm actually in Charleston! Any of y'all near Charleston?

I'll try and get the next chapter out ASAP!


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